"Alpine Bloom"

Fresh from a day downhill skiing west of her adopted city of Calgary, Gisa Mayer talks about the Rockies with palpable delight and affection. To the German-born landscape artist, the mountains’ relatively untouched landscapes are starkly different from the Bavarian Alps she hiked and skied as a youth. “Where I grew up you always see human impact,” Mayer says. “There’s always a gondola or a hut. It’s a stunning contrast when I look out at these panoramas.” From the first time Mayer visited Canada with her husband in the late 1980s, she was struck by the grand vistas of the Rockies, as well as the mountains’ lines and layers. Using a narrow palette of colours, she strives to reflect their chromatic harmony. Mayer’s broad, flowing lines are reminiscent of Vincent van Gogh, an artist she names as an influence. Her style is also sometimes compared to the Group of Seven, although she had not heard of them as a student in Europe. Angela Bugera Matheson, owner of the gallery, finds pleasure in Mayer’s work. “I feel they are a tiny bit on the surreal side,” she says. “There’s an awful lot of passion and joy that comes out of the paintings.” Mayer seeks out the mountains when life becomes hectic, finding tranquility in their presence. “I try to bring that balance and beauty to my paintings, the lines and colours.”